I just love the crisp smells of Autumn. The harvested apples, the pumpkin patch fields, the dried leaves, and fall-themed candles that exude golden warmth. The crispness in the air as jackets cover tanned-arms (not necessarily mine!) gives a yellow light to the growing season to pause before winter sets in.
True, Idaho doesn't get much of an autumn as it tends to go straight from summer (which is never long enough) to winter. One day it's a balmy Indian Summer day and the next we wake up to snow, wind, and frost with our predictably unpredictable weather.
However, that doesn't stop me from liking the season, even if it's only a week or so long here. I think it's the memory of the smells from past autumns that always bring back memories of raking leaves, trick-or-treating, or harvesting before the frost.
And of course, the smells wafting from the kitchen are my MOST favorite! I get into cozy-cozy mode when I contemplate my menus as I look out the window at the cold. I love the smell of baking bread and simmering stews which add warmth to the whole house, literally and figuratively.
I sometimes get a little too creative with my menu items though (just ask the menfolk in the family). However, my Harvest Stew/Back-to-School Soup/Autumn Soup (couldn't decide on a name as I kept adding stuff to it) turned out great (I mentioned it in my Fall Decor post). I can't really remember all that I put into it, but feel free to go to my shared food blog, The Recipe Retreat to get the "recipe" of what I could remember. :)
Not a picture of my soup, but you get the idea (we ate it all before I took a picture of it, but it was very colorful!)
What's a meal without a little cider and doughnuts afterwards?
I just want to curl up in a blanket, sip my cider and nibble my doughnut while reading a good book...which won't happen until the kiddies are asleep or visiting grandparents. Hmmm...
What are some of your favorite smells from Autumn? I'd love to hear about them...
